Azeri President In Japan To Discuss Economic Ties

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (file photo) (CTK)
March 7, 2006 -- Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev is scheduled to start an official visit to Japan today.

Aliyev is expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Foreign Minister Taro Aso, and have an audience with Emperor Akihito during the visit, which ends on March 10.

Discussions are expected to focus on Japanese financial aid to Azerbaijan and the development of political and economic ties between the two countries. Japan is an investor in a number of energy projects in Azerbaijan.

It will be the first trip to Tokyo by an Azerbaijani leader since Aliyev's father, the former President Heydar Aliyev, visited in 1998.

(ITAR-TASS)

Caspian Energy Special

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HOW MUCH OIL? The U.S. Energy Information Administration has estimated that the Caspian could hold between 17 billion and 33 billion barrels of proven oil. ("Proven reserves" are defined by energy experts to be 90 percent probable.) Other experts estimate the Caspian could hold "possible reserves" of up to 233 billion barrels of oil. ("Possible reserves" are considered to be 50 percent probable.) By comparison, Saudi Arabia has 261 billion barrels of oil and the United States 23 billion...(more)